Syringa vulgaris 'Belle de Nancy' Tree

Syringa vulgaris Belle de Nancy is an attractive French Lilac with highly fragrant, double flowers that are particularly attractive to butterflies and bees. The upright panicles appear as pink-mauve buds in spring and blossom into lilac-pink petals, fading to a blueish hue in summer. For the best flower display it is important to prune immediately after flowering. Syringa Belle de Nancy has mid-green, heart-shaped foliage in spring and summer.

French Lilac Belle de Nancy is a well established variety, bred at the famous Lemoine Nursery near Nancy, France and is a popular Lilac tree, often planted for screening or as a feature tree. The blossoms can also be cut for flower arranging.

This upright Lilac tree has a final height and spread of 2.5 x 2 metres in 20 years, so is perfect as a small garden tree or upright shrub. For the best result, plant your Belle de Nancy Lilac tree in moist but well-drained soil, in a sunny location. This upright Syringa tree is tolerant of clay, loam and sand based soils.

Soil: Tolerant of clay, loam and sand based soils but prefers a moist yet well-drained site

Planting Advice for Syringa vulgaris Belle de Nancy Trees

Our pot grown Belle de Nancy Lilac trees can be planted at any time of the year. Prepare your planting site by removing all weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole. Dig a square hole as deep as your root mass and approximately 2x as wide. To help your tree establish more effectively, especially if you have poor soil, we advise applying root grow by sprinkling it in the hole.

Before planting your lilac tree, soak the roots in tepid water for 10-15 minutes, then gently tease the roots. If you have poor soil mix 50% of your original soil with 50% high quality compost. Fill in the hole and firm around gently. Make sure not to bank the soil up around the collar of the tree. You can find further planting advice here.

Aftercare Advice for Syringa vulgaris Belle de Nancy Trees

If you’re planting in spring, summer or dry weather, water well and regularly for the first few months. Make sure to keep an eye on young Lilac trees and increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If you’re planting in autumn, you may only need to water your tree a little. We stock a range of irrigation kits, suitable for a variety of planting schemes.

Once planted, it is important to keep the area free of competing weeds for the first couple of growing seasons.

Pruning Advice for Syringa Belle de Nancy Trees

Unlike some ornamental trees, pruning is encouraged when it comes lilac trees. The only question is how much and when. The aim of a lilac tree owner is to create a full not bushy effect. If you wish to maintain a bush rather than a tree, allow the side growth to flourish and simply prune after flowering. For a tree effect, prune the longest, oldest branches that lie closest to the ground.

If your Lilac tree begins to look overcrowded remove inner branches to allow more light and air inside the canopy. Always prune dead flowers and damaged or diseased branches.

Mature lilac trees that have become overgrown can be hard pruned back to their former glory, but it will take time. Never prune a lilac tree back by more than a third of its size. Do this one season at a time, allowing the tree to recover in between pruning. Apply a fertiliser each autumn and again in spring, just before flowering.

Delivery Timescales

Most deliveries are made within a week of placing the order. All trees are carefully packed by our experienced team, with many despatched to our tried and tested couriers within 24 hours (please allow up to 10 days). There's no need to be in to receive your trees and you can request where they are left via the checkout.

There is a slightly longer timescale on pleached and mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) because we group orders together by geographic area for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers to notify them of the delivery date and whether the delivery driver needs assistance.

Gift trees and those required by a specific date can be accommodated with pleasure, although we accept no legal responsibility for late deliveries.

Our nursery is a busy despatch centre, so please make an appointment to collect or view trees. For collections, despatch charges will be refunded.

Mature, pleached or 5+ large trees: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode. You can buy additional trees with no increase in delivery cost.

The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process.

Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Non Mainland UK

Our courier charges are not viable for just one or two trees, but if you have a larger requirement then please do speak to us to see if we can find a solution.

Below are definitions of various forms, which refer to the shape of the tree defined by the pruning it has received. For more advice, please contact us.

Single Stem / Pruned and shaped: Classic shaped tree with a single stem that has had pruning to help create a beautiful, natural shape.

Top grafted: A height noted next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Top grafted trees do not require complicated pruning and are ideal for small spaces.

Multi Stem: A multi stem tree is has two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system. Take care to buy a true multi-stem like all ours and not those that are 3 saplings in a pot to cheaply imitate them.

Feathered: A feathered tree has branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.

Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.

Climber: A plant that is a natural climber and will be delivered usually running up a bamboo cane, ready to position in the garden.

Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branch), which supports a branched crown. Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height.